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UN Human Rights Chief: Investigate Trayvon Martin Killing Immediately
Navi Pillay: "It calls into question the delivery of justice in all situations like this."
The United Nations human rights chief has called for an "immediate investigation" into the killing of Trayvon Martin.
Navi Pillay, the UN human rights chief, made the comments at a press conference in Barbados.
She also expressed concern over Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law, which has come under scrutiny since the killing of Martin by "neighborhood watchman" George Zimmerman.
"As High Commissioner for Human Rights, I call for an immediate investigation," Pillay told reporters.
"Justice must be done for the victim. It's not just this individual case. It calls into question the delivery of justice in all situations like this."
"The law should operate equally in respect of all violations. I will be awaiting an investigation and prosecution and trial and of course reparations for the victims concerned," Pillay said.
The ACLU has also called for an investigation into Martin's killing. Dennis Parker, director of the ACLU Racial Justice Program, stated, “Trayvon’s family and the nation deserve a full and fair investigation of the killing, as well as a thorough examination of the fatal effects that racial discrimination has in our country. The failure to take decisive steps now will only ensure that this tragedy will be repeated.”
* * *
Agence France-Presse: UN rights chief calls for Trayvon Martin probe
BRIDGETOWN — UN rights chief Navi Pillay on Thursday called for an "immediate investigation" into the circumstances surrounding the February death of an unarmed black US teen, shot by a neighborhood watchman.
Pillay made the comments about the controversial Trayvon Martin case at a press conference in Barbados, as she wrapped up a three-day visit to the Caribbean island nation. [...]
The case has unleashed a national uproar over race relations and the right to self-defense in the United States.
Pillay expressed shock that Zimmerman was not arrested right away, and expressed concern about Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, which allows the use of deadly force in situations where there is a belief of a threat.
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20 Comments so far
Show Allexactly! Like I wrote under Amy Goodman's article, this is being painted as a race war, while it's a clear CLASS war. The old divide and conquer strategy of distraction. Liberals and progressives are falling for it, hook, line, and sinker.
The ruling elite loves nothing more than to distract us with more Black against White, White against Muslim, Latino against Black. etc. While you're infuriated about Troy Davis, Trayvon Martin, Anna Brown, now Kenneth Chamberlain, you forget to be furious about unemployment, bailouts to Wall Street, illegal wars overseas and Obama's clear intention after reelection to privatize Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the very reasons behind the racial tensions in America today.
Last night on Sirius "Left", the thoroughly corrupt corporate propaganda channel of the Democratic Party, callers were agreeing with the host and his guest about how these epidemic attacks on innocent blacks in America are an attack on Obama, our first black president. Yes, Obama is the victim, we must reelect him!
They forget that the man sitting in the Oval Office is the very first to throw black people under the bus, as he has done to Rev. Wright, Jones, Sherrod, and the life of blacks (and everyone else for that matter, except the so called 1%) has become worse under Obama, unemployment, crime and imprisonment are at an all time high.
Let's stop throwing gasoline in the racial American fire, folks, and concentrate on the crimes committed by the elite against the working class.
The police with the new ultra right wing Supreme Court case, now can Strip Search (punishment) any of us for any reason.
Maybe the wars on the people need some more Right Wingers on the court to seal the deal.
Zimmerman started his call to police dispatch with "Hey we've had some break-ins in my neighborhood, and there's a real suspicious guy...This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about."
That makes his motivation quite clear, though it doesn't excuse his subsequent actions.
Again “on Drugs or something”
It is the drug comment that he thought would get him his OK to pursue. Same with police, if they think you are on "drugs or something” they can strip search you and this new ruling came after this case broke the news.
Do you look like you are safe now?
Are you aware that most “burglaries” and street robberies are caused by people who are desperate to get drugs because they are illegal and even prescription drugs that are illegal if your hooked. This is beside the turf battles by drug dealers that are spreading.
Also a new book on the New Jim Crow as why Blacks are targeted for drugs and the poor are targeted even though they don’t use any more than the rest of the population. In Florida they are trying to Drug test everyone who gets welfare, yet again no difference in Drug use between rich and poor or even less with Welfare and that is why the Drug War makes us all the new Jim Crow.
It's a bit too convenient for ideologues to rush to judgement and paint the incident to support their own bias or agenda.
Let's, instead, insist - as the Human Rights Commissioner has done - on a thorough investigation and trial to let the facts speak for themselves.
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We've had the UN under attack for decades now --
That what's left of it manages to call the US "a terrorist nation" is admirable, imo.
They occasionally still show some guts.
Backtrack to the assassination of Dag Hammarskjold -- and the GOP vote in the Senate to move the United Nations out of New York/America -- while withholding our dues -- and you understand what I'm saying.
. .
You really believe the USA was a democracy prior to that?
This is a human characteristic; we all make mistakes.
Castnet (5-56pm) and his multitudinous kind, however, have noses that do not belong amongst humanity.